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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#190: Eras

To quote Brooklyn 99, Taylor Swift “makes all of us feel things.” With her honest and reflective accounts of growing up and searching for yourself and your place in the world, she’s managed to trace her remarkable coming-of-age arc in a way that millions of people can still relate to.

This week, let’s remember what growing up feels like, or take inspiration from Taylor Swift’s master storytelling to come up with a new story. But remember — using lyrics isn’t allowed!

This week's prompts

Start a story that begins with a character saying “Speak now.”

Dialogue – 86 stories

Write about someone who decides to make their own version of something old.

Character – 36 stories

Set your story in New York, where someone’s been waiting for your character.

Adventure – 39 stories

Write a story about a fandom

Funny – 27 stories

Start your story with someone vowing to take revenge.

Dark – 62 stories

Stories

“The Visitor” by Stevie Burges

Submitted to Contest #190

This story mentions sex. ‘Oi, who the hell are you?’ Sonia shook the inert sleeping body. ‘Wake up! Speak to me!’ In the dark of the bedroom, she could hear the sheets rustling. It was too dark to see the body's outline, but she felt sure it was a naked male. Sonia had had enough. Suffering from terrible jet lag, dirty and exhausted, an electricity blackout, and now someone in her allocated room. ***** Sonia arrived much later than planned but managed to rush to the Property Manager, anxiously waiting to shu...

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“Past Over” by Andrew Fruchtman

Submitted to Contest #190

It’s the smells I remember most clearly. Sunday afternoons were reserved for Grandma and Grandpa, for visits to The Home. Not their home, mind you, but The Home, with all the finality, rigidity, and coldness those capital letters exude, the “H”resembling a hospital bed. Their home had been a place of warmth with the wonderful smells of baking, fresh flowers, and various lotions and creams. The Home smelled of urine, disinfectant, and decay. What had once been soft and inviting, with colorful scattered rugs and large deep pillo...

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“The Errant Wife” by Karen Wadsworth

Submitted to Contest #190

Sensitive issues: Mental and physical abuse Jason stood silently waiting for his wife to wake. He would take no joy in this act of revenge on his unfaithful wife, but it was necessary. Sandra groaned and shook herself awake. She couldn’t see anything, no light filtered into the inky blackness of the room. She blinked several times to ensure her eyes were open. Sandra sniffed. The air was fusty but sweet. It reminded her of when the cat had died, and they didn’t find it for three days. “Dear Heart, your back with me.” Sandra jumped at the w...

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“The Bad Apple” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #190

He hates flying. He’s the most frequent of fliers and yet, even now, he feels the tension building in his body, and sweat beading on his forehead. Climbing into a glorified Pringle’s tube and being propelled at frightening speeds by one of the most combustible liquids known to science is not his idea of a good time. Henry knows this. Henry is one of the few who know him well enough to understand this about him. He’s also not a fan of the Big Apple. Give him the peace and quiet of the Scottish countryside any day of the week. But needs ...

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“Summer Lace” by Dionna White

Submitted to Contest #190

“Will you marry me?” my boyfriend asked me several months ago, and of course, I agreed. He is a great man. He works a basic job, but it pays the bills. He makes more than me, teacher pay is its own category of shitty, but I like my job. We decided to have our wedding in the summer so that I wouldn’t have to worry about getting a substitute, and we could immediately take our honeymoon. July 17th feels a long way away and right around the corner. I have less than two months to alter my mother’s wedding dress. She married my father in 1989, an...

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“I Deserve to Speak Now” by Elisha McCardell

Submitted to Contest #190

“Speak now or I will be out of that door and you will never see me again!” Although Jake has heard this many times before, this time he has to know I mean it. I mean, do I? Mean it? At what point does a girl get tired of being a default? Can change happen after multiple infractions? Do I even love myself? Regardless of these unanswered thoughts flowing through my head, I have to convince him. I have to convince him now! As I convince myself that this will be the last time. “The last time Amy!” I can ...

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“Reminiscence ” by Alexandra Krop

Submitted to Contest #190

(Trigger Warnings: Swearing, mental health, self-harm, and suicide.)I’m sorry, Allison.The memory washes over you as cold water stings your freshly scrubbed cheeks:You and James watching reruns of Lost in your Brooklyn apartment. Picking up on his tenseness all night, even after trying to settle his mood with a bottle of red. Him pausing the episode in the middle of the protagonist’s heated confrontation and telling you he has something serious to talk about. You watching his fingers tease the remote’s pause button, as if begging him to hit ...

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“3 Weeks ” by Carly Rosser-Mayo

Submitted to Contest #190

14th March 2004 Sarah She stubbed her cigarette out on the windowsill and closed the long sash window. It was still raining outside, but there was something beautiful about Manhattan when the weather turned. The lights from the traffic and street lamps lit the tiny droplets of rain as they splashed into puddles. Sarah had always loved the way that New York remained busy no matter what time it was. She glanced at the red lights on her bedside alarm clock. 01:34. ‘I won’t be able to sleep tonight’, she thought, as she checked he...

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“Tassia's Shame” by Bernie Rhodes

Submitted to Contest #190

“Speak now!” Rick shouted at his daughter, Tassia. “Rick, don’t!” Jane pleaded in an effort for Rick to soften his temperament. “I’ll handle this, Jane!” “Nothing happened, ok!” Tassia shouted. “You’re nothing but trash; you know that? Sit down!” Rick demanded. “Rick, don’t say that!” Jane insisted. “He just followed me home...

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“The Hand of Death ” by Jack Sutherland

Submitted to Contest #190

“Speak now,” I tell the mirrorless reflection before me. Casting shadows of crooked elbows and broken arms across my body, it gently pulses with a translucent murky white that illuminates the ground in front of me. The light rises and falls with shallow breaths. I see straight through the tattered rags that hang precariously off its shoulders to the swaying forest behind. I'm not scared but my heart increases at the sight of myself. Has my mind finally left sanity's sweet cradle? Or is this a spectre of myself? “I demand a response,” I whisp...

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“"Starlight" Fandom Joy” by Felicia Alexander-Branch

Submitted to Contest #190

Emily had been a fan of the "Starlight" book series since she was a teenager. She had grown up with the characters, eagerly awaiting each new installment, attending book signings and conventions, and even cosplaying as her favorite character, Nova. As an adult, Emily had a demanding job that left her little time for hobbies, but she always made time for "Starlight." So, when she heard that the author, Samantha Rose, was going to be attending a local convention, she knew she had to go. Emily arrived at the convention center early, wai...

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“The hope and love of the island ” by PAYTON FEIZO-GAS

Submitted to Contest #190

It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark. I stared at my feet waiting for the command. The command to start the engine of my plane. My heart started pounding as I heard his voice saying, " This is Commander 1, please start your engine Jane." "Yes Commander 1." I said. "Now remember to fly over the island." He started. " And don't land until you know it's all safe." I murmured along with him. "I know what I'm doing Commander." "Jane, I just want you to be safe." He told me. "Mark, please." I begged. "We can't let our ...

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“Just Say It” by Christine Bialczak

Submitted to Contest #190

Start a story that begins with a character saying “Speak now.”“Speak now! Say it!”She didn’t know what she was supposed to say. “Say what I want to hear!” he sneered. Marsha and Joe had come to the park to listen to the band that came on at dusk. It was a popular place with all the high school kids and a place where many small bands became bigger names. Tonight was one of Marsha’s favorite bands, The Jetliners. Before coming into the park Marsha and Joe had both cracked a beer in the car and raced to see who could chug it fast...

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“This Ain't Kansas” by Josephine Harris

Submitted to Contest #190

‘What do you call that thing when it’s a follow up to a book or a movie?’‘You mean… a sequel?’‘Yeah, that’s it. So I’ve been thinking about it. What we need is a sequel to that one about the girl, the dog, the tin man, the scarecrow, the lion, the two witches and a wizard.’‘A sequel to the Wizard of Oz? Are you crazy? You ain’t no Frank Baum.’‘I mean, isn't anyone curious what happened after? It’s all very well they got what they wanted, but sometimes things don’t work the way people think. You know, unintended consequences. That’s a very un...

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“As Time Goes By” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #190

I must admit I’m so nervous that my stomach is all tied up in knots. So why did I answer her request on Facebook to meet her? It’s been, what, fifty-six years since we last saw each other. Oh man, we were just kids! We lived near each other in the lower Bronx, by the zoo. We grew up best friends, perhaps on my part a little more. I was seventeen, and she was sixteen, a five-foot-one beauty with brown eyes and blond hair. I was your typical Irishman with black hair, blue eyes, and a ruddy complexion. Ye...

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$250

Prize money

250

Contest entries

114

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Mar 24, 2023 EST

Won by Éan Bird 🏆

Title: Dear Coldplay, I Love You. Wait. Scratch That.

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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